


As Clean As Sin

by Notevenwinded



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cybernetics, First Kiss, M/M, Prosthetics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4039000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notevenwinded/pseuds/Notevenwinded
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>War Veteran Steve Rogers thought that he had lost everything when a missile costed him both of his legs in the battlefield. Until a team of scientists working at a secret government organisation approach him and offer him to participate in a project that could give him back his legs. Tony Stark, funding the program, takes an interest in Steve and helps him as he learns to use his new prosthetic legs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Clean As Sin

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [As Clean As A Sin Art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4030654) by [LePeru (Nizah)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nizah/pseuds/LePeru). 



> Written for the Cap-Iron Man Reverse Big Bang 2015!  
> I had the pleasure of working with the amazing http://le-peruggine.tumblr.com/  
> You can see the art for the fic here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4030654

It was raining.

It seemed to be raining every single day. The sunshine that they sold everyone who moved into the suburbs of New York was an absolute lie yet so many people were buying it. There wasn’t much for him to do anymore, he hated going outside, yet his stay in the veteran hospital was an absolute nightmare. Others were glad to be there, among their fellow soldiers, who seemed to understand what they were feeling and going through at all times but this...this wasn’t for him. He wanted to be out there again, into the action, serving his country.

Everyone knew who he was. Steve Rogers, a good soldier, a good man. He had that unique leadership trait that rallied up the rest of the troops in his squad, he was affectionately called “Captain” by a lot. Some even joked and called him the Captain of America, but Steve dismissed that nickname, he felt that he didn’t deserve it. When the incident took place, it didn’t just shake him, it shook everyone who knew him. They all came to see him, but nobody knew exactly what to say to him. They would offer their condolences, say that it didn’t matter that he couldn’t be in the battlefield anymore, that he could get a good paying office job in the Ministry of Defence. Steve put his stoic face on and nodded to every comment, to every General that came in and offered him a job, but so far he turned everything down. He spent a few weeks in that hospital, struggling to find a purpose in life.

Asking for help to get on his wheelchair every day was painful, so he learnt to do it himself in no time. Still, the times that he found himself on the floor and forced to call one of the nurses to help him up were enough to shatter his pride and cause him to isolate himself.

As he turned his gaze away from the window, he rolled on his side, using his upper body strenght to get himself sitting up, dragging the wheelchair closer. With precise, mechanical movements, he lifted himself up and sat on the chair, his eyes turning on the full body mirror. The scars on his face were healed, as well as the injuries on his chest and arms. Everything looked normal until he moved to his legs, or rather, where his legs used to be. His knees were covered in bandages, and that was it, there was nothing left lower than that. He hated the looks of sympathy that he would get, the realisation that he would never walk again, got for his morning runs, anything. He wheeled the chair away, not wanting to look at himself again.

His morning routine involved him putting on a neutral face and wheeling into the main sitting area, conversing with the others, especially with another soldier around his age who was missing an arm. He seemed to be more accepting of his disability, then again, Steve would remind himself, he could walk. His daily life didn’t change to such an extreme level, but he sworn that the guy, James, offered to stay longer in the hospital to be closer to the people he befriended.

“Morning”, he greeted Steve with a smile, passing him a coffee mug that got ready for the both of them.

“Hey, James”, Steve nodded, getting the mug and taking a long sip.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Bucky?”, he frowned, giving Steve a nudge on his shoulder with his good hand.

“Right, right, Bucky it is. Who came up with that name anyway?”

“The guys back at the training camp, it stuck, only my girl calls me James nowadays. She’s dropping by later, you should meet her.”

“Natasha, right?”, Steve recalled, scanning the room. The rest of the people were either watching tv, chatting or playing games of chess. Everyone was covered in some form of bandages, the place looked like a much neater and quieter battlefield hospital. The screams and blood that he saw when he was first recovered in the field were enough to wake him up from his sleep drenched in sweat and having difficulty in breathing. But there was nothing special about him, everyone in that room suffered from the same memories and were getting treatment from the hospital therapists. He spent hours with the therapist assigned to him, Jocasta, a woman in her forties who seemed to be more empathetic than her strict appearance made her to be.

“Yeah...”, Bucky daydreamed. He was lucky to have his girl after all this, to have someone so close to him to help him with his struggles. In a way, Steve was sort of jealous, he wouldn’t mind not having to go through all that alone. Yet, he was happy that a friend was happy, it was simply how he was.

He found himself being quite silent, nodding and smiling as Bucky talked about his first meeting with Natasha and how they got together.

“Boy, she’s fierce! She could kick my ass anytime and I would love it, to be honest”, he sighed.

“If I didn’t know any better, you would marry that girl in a heartbeat”, Steve smiled.

“I would, I know I would”, Bucky nodded sagely.

“Mr Rogers?”

Steve turned around as soon as he heard his name being called, to see a blonde nurse approaching him.

“Someone requested to see you, they are waiting for you in your room”

“Did they say who they are?”, Steve asked. He didn’t normally have visitors, besides the usual officials, but since he kept declining their offers, they stopped coming over.

“Not really... they looked like...doctors of some sort.”

“They?”

“Yes, there are two of them. One short guy with glasses, the other seems a bit..”, she stopped, trying to find a suitable word. “Strange.”

“Hmm... Anyway, thank you”, he smiled, turning his wheelchair around. “I’ll see you later, say hello to Natasha for me”, he told Bucky as he wheeled his chair back to his room.

 

What could they possibly want for him at that point? He was starting to get slightly annoyed, he just wanted to get better on his own without people pitying him or trying to make him do something that he simply wasn’t. The sudden thought of people wanting to study him made his blood boil. He didn’t fight in wars only to lose his legs, retire and become a test subject of some sort.

As he approached the door, he pressed his ear against it. Nothing, there was only silence. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, rolling inside.

“Ah, Mr. Rogers! It’s a pleasure to met you!”

The voice came from the short man in round glasses with the receding hairline. His accent was strong, possibly German. Steve couldn’t exactly tell, it was almost like the man was trying to hide it.

“I’m Dr. Zola, this is my colleague, Dr. Tarleton”, he continued, offering his hand to Steve.

Steve looked at them both from head to toe before shaking his hand firmly.

“I was told that you wanted to see me. Before you say anything, I’m sure you know that I turned down many job positions since I came back.”

“This isn’t an office job position, Mr. Rogers. We’re here to ask you.. a favour, of some sort. If you were to accept, you will get more benefits out from this than we will.”

“I find that hard to believe”, Steve replied, crossing his arms and looking at them again. There was something eerie, almost suspicious about them but he couldn’t tell what exactly.

“Mr. Rogers, tell me, don’t you want to join the fight again? Fight for your country, leave this hospital? We can offer you that. No, let me finish talking first”, he replied as he saw Steve opening his mouth. “We represent an underground government agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. We are here to offer you the chance to be part of something great. As scientists within S.H.I.E.L.D., our job is to develop new weapons, with the help of Stark Industries, new tech to give our army an advantage in the war against terrorism. This project has been in the development for years, and we’re finally ready to kick start it. All we need, is volunteers. Great men who love their country and would do anything to fight for it again. We know that you’re not in the state of fighting now, but after you sign up for this, you’ll be better than ever.”

The other scientist walked forward, opening his suitcase and taking out a small tablet.

“We call this, Operation Rebirth. We are planning to take veteran soldiers like you who were injured in battle and give them what they lost back, but only better.”

Steve narrowed his eyes as he leaned closer, the presentation on the screen showing different blueprints, switching to different figures of people who were missing limbs with prosthetics attached to them. They didn’t look like simple prosthetics tho, they looked almost..robotic, equipped with weapons and all kinds of functions that could help them in the field.

“Cybernetics...?”, Steve asked.

“Precisely. Your new legs, in your situation, will be connected to your brain and respond to you, you will have absolute control. Do you want us to incorporate jets in them? You can have that. Anything that you wish can be possible thanks to Mr. Stark’s involvement in this project.”

“Stark? Howard Stark’s son...?”

Everyone knew who both these men were, the Starks were one of the wealthiest families still around and Stark Industries got famous during the 40’s, with Howard Stark’s involvement in the war. He should have guessed that his son would carry on the family tradition, even though Steve only saw his interviews in different magazines and didn’t know what to make off him. He seemed like a type of person that he wouldn’t normally approach and befriend.

“Oh yes, he created many prototypes for us and the tests have been successful. We are now ready and proud to start the mass production. Think of it as the beginning of a new era...the era of super soldiers. Body parts can easily be replaced, and you will be stronger every time.”

Steve didn’t buy it at first. He was a hard man to convince, but the thought of leaving that depressing hospital and going back outside, right into the battlefield where he felt that he belonged was way too tempting. But it all seemed to come with a steep price, of being part of an experiment that he was just finding out about. Then again, if someone like Tony Stark was involved, it could be more complicated, regardless of how simple those scientists made it out to be. Experiments, metallic body parts, super soldiers.. it all sounded like a sci fi scenario, a daunting one as well.

“Think of it, Herr Rogers... You are going to be part of something bigger... They call you the Captain, correct? Imagine how the rest of the troops in this hospital will see you... you can give those men their life back, inspire them...”

His mind immediately went to his friend most likely sitting outside with his girl; maybe Bucky wouldn’t be thrilled to join the fight again, but what if he could help him touch Natasha again with both of his hands? It could really help everyone.

“I want a tour of the facilities first. And meet everyone involved. Then I can give you my final answer”, he decided, his arms crossed, his look stern and decisive.

The scientists gave each other a victorious look, and it looked more sinister than Steve could even fathom, which made him feel slightly phased.

“Excellent. When do we start?”

 

\----

 

The facility was hidden, but Steve didn’t expect any less from the organisation that called themselves S.H.I.E.L.D. At first he thought that they were heading towards his former training camp, driving outside the city, past the tall buildings and the huge tower that belonged to Tony Stark’s company, but they suddenly took what Steve would consider a wrong turn, ending up in an abandoned factory. The doctors offered to help him out of the car and on his wheelchair, but Steve firmly declined, settling himself down. Immediately he spotted the sign that had fallen on the side over the course of years; Stark was behind this. Not the Stark that he saw this day in the news, but his father. So the place that they chose as their base of operation for this mysterious new project was an old facility provided by Tony Stark, he should have guessed that.

Wheeling with a bit of difficulty through the muddy ground, he reached the large, iron door and waited for the scientists to push it open. To his surprise, a previously hidden panel appeared on the side of the entrance, and he felt that he was being scanned (which was most likely happening).

 

“ACCESS GRANTED. PLEASE PROCEED.”

 

Steve scolded himself, reminding himself to stop looking surprised, he was going to see all this remarkable tech soon enough and he wouldn’t want to appear clueless. He was a fast learner, he might have appeared quiet but in reality he was scanning the screen that was shown to him, taking in and salvaging any information that he could gather with his tactical eyes.

 

“Welcome to the future, Captain”, Zola said proudly, holding the door open for him as they stepped inside.

Steve expected to see the same deteriorated, old factory from outside on the inside too, but he was greeted by a busy lab, equipped with the latest tech possible. Everyone seemed to be busy, some people with labcoats didn’t even turn to see the newcomers, but others stopped what they were doing, muttering inaudible things to each other, but Steve knew that they were all talking about him. He wondered if Zola and Tarleton informed everyone of his arrival, which was probably the case. The building looked and felt cold, and it sure made Steve feel uncomfortable; he disliked hospitals, too many unpleasant memories took part in them, and this facility reeked of that. This was meant to be a new beginning for him, he had to stop worrying about everything and remind himself of the benefits of the experiment. He wanted to go back to the battlefield, get his legs back, to feel useful. In the end, that was what he was craving, to be able to give back to his country, and he knew that without his legs, he couldn’t reach the peak of his abilities. However, this “future” didn’t look too trustworthy to him.

“So you managed to bring him in, huh? What did you offer him? Something good, I hope”, a voice was heard from the top of the stairs.

Steve turned around to the source of that voice, facing exactly who he expected it to be.

Tony Stark himself, dressed in a sharp, black suit, complete with a blue tie, hair slicked back, his dark blue eyes visible as no designer sunglasses were covering them as usual. The man looked...better than he thought that he would do. Of course, he needed to see if his personality was just as bad as he expected it to be; he immediately scolded himself, being wary was one thing, but he had to give the guy a chance to present himself.

Tony came down the stairs, buttoning up his Armani blazer and smiling at the newcomers. That guy certainly had a sauve air about him, and he reflected his father’s (as seen from the videos, of course) attitude, which Steve was still in the process of trying to decide if he liked it or not. Still, there was something about that man, something that he couldn’t place his finger on. Not in a bad way, of course, but then again, they didn’t really introduce themselves to each other.

“I think that the ability to walk again is a good enough offer”, Steve decided to reply before the two scientists had a chance to speak. “And to get out in the battlefield again, of course.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, offering his hand to Steve for a firm handshake. “Strong hand, then again, I didn’t expect any different. Tony Stark, I’m sure that you gathered that, but there’s no harm in introducing myself. I’m the man who funds this whole project. I don’t want to brag, but.. without my support, this would probably end up going down in flames.”

“Thank you very much, Herr Stark, that is the last thing that we want Herr Rogers to know”, Zola half joked, even though the bitterness was strong in his tone.

“Steve Rogers, it’s a pleasure to meet you”, Steve nodded. Tony was certainly confident, which was sort of soothing; at least he seemed more trustworthy than scientists, there was something eerie about them, even though they promised him so much.

“So, did these guys put you in the loop? I can give you a tour of the facilities and then we can start getting ready.”

“What, now?”, Steve asked, not expecting them to get right into it straight away.

“Not the actual um, experiment. No, experiment doesn’t have the right ring to it, how do we call it? Project, yeah. No, we will run some tests first, see how compatible you are, how your brain responds to the machines.”

“I’m going to cut you right here, Stark. I’m not sure if you were informed, but I didn’t give my final reply yet. I will after you show me around first.”

“What, really? You would walk out of here?”

The stern look that Steve gave him really didn’t need any further explanation.

“Okay, sure, But you won’t be disappointed, you know it. Especially when Stark Industries is involved.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Steve graced his reply with a smirk, and he was sure that Tony picked up on that.

 

\---

 

They walked for so long, Tony showed him everything in the facility, from the smallest room with dozens of monitors inside to the actual chambers where the tests were going to take place, but also the lab where the artificial limbs were being developed. Steve looked through the glass window, his hands reaching for his missing legs, resting on his thighs instead. He didn’t realise until that moment how desperately he wanted them back again. It was painful, to see everyone around him performing the simplest tasks with such an ease when he was initially struggling to even get himself out of bed without help. He was used to offer his help to others, not being the one needing it. He strongly believed that he could offer more, and the chance to do so was robbed from him by a rogue missile. Of course, the case was being investigated, trying to put the blame on someone, but so far, nothing came to the surface.

“Must have been hard for you”, Tony said after he cleared his throat, having noticed Steve’s silence.

“You have no idea. I don’t think anyone does until they actually get out there and under fire”, Steve muttered, shaking his head.

Tony opened his mouth like he was going to reply to that comment, but instead chose to stay silent.

“Sorry about that. Yes, it has been hard. I’m skeptical about this project, Stark. Why me? Why now? If you had this technology under development, one would think that you would offer it to every soldier, no, not just the military, anyone who has to go through this, some of them since birth. It feels suspicious, selfish even.”

“We’re talking about experimental technology here, Rogers. You’re a perfect subject for this-”

“Don’t call me that”, Steve growled straight away, waving his finger at him.

“The perfect volunteer for this project. You’re on top peak condition and we know that the moment you step outside in the battlefield with your new legs, their quality will be tested too. We can improve any imperfections, make sure that non-combat prosthetic limbs will work perfectly and that we can mass produce them. It’s not a selfish act, this is us being careful and wanting to offer everyone in need a better future.”

There was something different about Tony presenting the same logic behind the project as the other 2 scientists did. He was more approachable, he spoke like a man who knew from experience how tough the war was, but that was impossible, all he had heard about Tony Stark was how he was born, fed with a silver spoon, being unbelievably wealthy and enjoying a healthy, comfortable life.

“What were those tests again?”

Tony couldn’t help but smirk, getting behind Steve and grabbing the handles of his wheelchair.

“Well, I’m glad you asked”

 

\---

 

Hours later, Steve was left with marks on his arms from the blood tests and some small bruises from all the tests that they made him go through. His head hurt, he didn’t expect them to have so many mental tests either, he had to answer so many series of questions, some simple, some others that had no idea how they were related to any of the procedures.

“So, what’s next?”, he asked Tony as he was unstrapping him from the metal bed that he was placed on, flexing his arms and getting on his wheelchair once again.

“The results aren’t too bad so far. In fact, they seem to be perfect. Too perfect. Which of course is good, it will speed up the procedure and lower the chance of any unwanted side effects happening.”

“Herr Rogers reacted positively to most of the compatibility tests. If he decides to join this program, we could even begin tomorrow”, Dr Zola said, his round glasses appearing even larger behind the screen that he focused on.

“Like I said, too perfect”, Tony added.

There shouldn’t have been a moral dilemma for Steve, but of course, he wouldn’t help it but create one. The project was unique, one of a kind, and could give birth to so many more projects that could help not only soldiers, but everyone else, anyone in need. The possibilities were endless, and being the stepstone for something great really filled him with a sense of righteousness, of responsibility.

“I’ll do it”, he finally gave his answer.

There was no turning back now, or rather, if there was a possibility of staying out of this, he wouldn’t take it. He was confident, sure of his choice, and a huge part of him was internally screaming, eager to walk again after so many months of depending on that wheelchair to move himself around. He would be able to look at others straight in the eyes once again, his spirit was going to be repaired.

The smile on the scientists’ faces seemed fake, eerie, but the firm handshake and approval that he received from Tony looked genuine enough to him.

“That was easier than I expected! You’re not that hard to convince after all, big guy. And here I was starting to think of how to bribe you to accept-”

“I’m not doing this to get anything out of it other than the chance to inspire others. I don’t want anything else out of it.”

“Of course. I didn’t think that men like you still existed, to be honest. Everything has a price, especially when people know that you are a billionaire”

“Herr Stark, what about the offer...?”

“Oh, yeah! We want to offer you a new place. I understand that you’ll be staying in that veteran hospital that you were picked up, right? The new apartment is..part of your re initiation progress. New beginnings and all that jazz. Before you ask, yes, it’s still in Brooklyn. And a very nice modern place too, equipped with the latest tech. The bed is so comfortable, you have no idea...”

“I don’t want to be rude, but I think that I can do without a soft bed or a new apartment.”

“Come on, don’t be so difficult. I’ve read your files, you don’t really have a place of your own after you came back from your round. We’re offering you a new life and a home, Rogers. You should at least consider it, spend tonight there.”

The invasion of his privacy didn’t go unnoticed; it irked Steve, but he should have known that every information on him was out there for everyone to see, which was how he was found in the first place. So much for a private, quiet life.

“Fine. Just until the project ends.”

Tony smirked, a victorious smirk. Steve was starting to warm up on him, or at least he chose to believe that.

 

\---

 

A few hours later, he was left in the main entrance of a big apartment block. The driver, Stark’s employee was a happy looking man who loved to talk, he seemed to be interested in Steve’s military life.

He helped Steve out and into the elevator, unlocking the apartment's large white door and stepping at the side. Steve wheeled himself in; everything looked really cosy, the few suitcases with his belongings from the hospital were already there. Tony was right, a huge TV was there, a laptop on the small table, the tech looking out of place compared to the humble yet elegant decoration.

“Mr Stark thought that you wouldn’t appreciate his own personal extravagant taste, so he had this place prepared for you” 

“Wait, when did he do all this?”, Steve gasped; he found it impossible for all this to have been prepared for him in the space of just a few hours.

“He has his contacts...”, the driver said cryptically, waiting by the door as he left the apartment keys by it.

“Captain Rogers, if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me. I will be coming by tomorrow at 9 to pick you up”

“Thanks...?”, Steve started as he turned towards him, realising that he didn’t catch his name yet.

“Happy Hogan, my number is on the address book on the table. Along with numbers that you can reach Tony Stark. He’s taking this project really seriously...”

“What else can you say to me about him?”, Steve asked curiously.

“About my employee..?”

“From what I’ve gathered, you’re close friends too, you don’t simply have a professional relationship”, Steve raised an eyebrow.

“We are friends, yeah...”, Happy mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m not asking you to tell me all his dark dirty secrets, just a few more words on the man who is funding a life changing project for me, that’s all.”

“Well...Mr Stark turned a new page for Stark Industries when he came back from- you read about that, right?”

“Read about what?”, Steve asked curiously.

“I thought that since you are part of the military, you would know..”

“I do know that our weapons are Stark Industries branded. And that his missiles gave us a huge advantage at the most dire situations.”

“You don’t know about his kidnapping?”

“What...?”

Happy shook his head as he took a seat on the large, comfortable sofa.

“He was doing a tour a few years back, demonstrating one of those missiles. His escorts were gunned down, a rogue terrorist group took him hostage, tortured, he was missing for a few months until we managed to track him down and save him. He doesn’t like talking about it, but...he came back a changed man. Focusing more on matters of energy and projects like the one you are part of, I think he wants to leave most of the weapons dealing business behind him.”

“I would have never guessed that he-”

“You should know better, right? Being a veteran and all.. my boss is perfect for putting up a show, always has been. So I would advise you to think twice before believing everything that you may read in the papers.”

Steve nodded, deep in thought. He knew this too well, having to mask his feelings, his anxieties, his fears, when in the presence of others, suffering silently despite the therapy that he was getting for his PTSD. The last thing he expected was to have more in common with Tony Stark than expected.

“I see. Thanks for letting me know, Happy”, he finally replied, offering his hand for him to shake. “Take care, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No problem. Try not to stay awake for too long”

The handshake was firm, and as soon as the door was shut, Steve closed his eyes and laid back on his chair.

There he was, alone in a brand new apartment, preparing for the the next day, the day that he would get back what belonged to him. He yearned for it, the sound of bullets, the mud between his soles, the feeling that he was helping his country, his old neighbours from across the hall. He was going to get it again, and that overwhelmed him.

 

\---

 

He did indeed stay awake for the majority of the night; by the time that he received the call from Happy and heard the doorbell, faint dark circles appeared under his eyes. His hair was neatly parted on the side, wearing more comfortable clothes instead of his uniform like he did the day before.

Taking a last look at himself in the mirror, he opened the door. It was strange to think that this would most likely be the last time that he would look at himself from that viewpoint, that he wouldn’t need to wheel himself outside anymore.

“Ready for the big day?”

Happy’s smile seemed genuine, and Steve nodded to him before they made their way downstairs and into the car.

They were mostly silent, the nerves were starting to kick in. What if this project failed? If everyone build his hopes up only to crush them hard and painfully? No, he trusted Tony Stark, after what he found about him it truly made him believe that he would do anything in his power to give humanity a better future.

Before he knew it, he was back at the facility; when the large doors were opened, all eyes were focused on him. His hands resting on his legs clenched into fists, taking a deep breath before relaxing and wheeling himself deeper inside.

Tony was there, sporting a labcoat over his usual expensive suit, walking to him

“Back to your posts people! Nothing to see here, except the next big thing in cybernetics!”

At his comment, the scientists and employees that were staring turned away, focusing on their screens, but Steve knew that they were doing anything in their power to catch a glimpse of him.

“How are you feeling?”, Tony asked in a lower voice, getting behind Steve and pushing his chair towards another more secluded room, where  a metal table was waiting for them. It looked ominous, it certainly made Steve shudder unintentionally, hoping that nobody else caught that.

“Good. How long you think that this will take?

“We’ll see, we need the surgeons to come in first, they will start working on you, then the engineers come in. I’ll be there looking after the whole procedure from start to finish. Of course you’ll be knocked out, we can’t do this with you being awake. However, we’ll need your full cooperation when we wake you up to make sure that all is working perfectly. Like they probably said to you, this is considered to be smart technology. Your new legs will respond to your thoughts, so don’t be surprised if you...find a patch of hair missing in the back of your head, at least for a few weeks.”

Steve tried not to think of his head being split open; he signed up for this, whatever it was, there was no turning back.

“Got it.”

Tony looked at him once more; he seemed too calm, far too quiet but he preferred it over having to calm down a panicked man.

As the scientists were placing him on the table, Steve closed his eyes, trying to think of what the outcome, of the endless possibilities that he would receive. He was left in a pair of black underpants, his missing legs fully exposed, his head prompted up as more people in labcoats and surgical masks stepped into the room. Before he knew it, a mask was placed on top of his mouth, and he slowly lost consciousness, Tony’s face smiling encouragingly to him being the last thing he saw.

 

\---

 

The next couple of hours were blurry, like being part of a hazy dream. He could swore that he heard people shouting, his chest being pressured, a sharp pain on the end of his legs and the back of his head.

Waking up, he jolted forward, breathing heavily. A really bad headache was there, and he was hooked on multiple IVs and...screens? Computers? A large white sheet was covering his legs, and his heart stopped. The moment that he placed his hand on it to remove it, a hand stopped him.

Tony was there, they were both in a separate room with dim lighting. He looked exhausted, but didn’t speak right away.

“Wait, before you do this”, he started, sitting on the bed instead.

“What...? Was everything alright..?”, Steve asked, his voice rough, realising that he didn’t speak for so long.

“We think so, yes. But it all depends on how you will respond to it now. This is the big moment.”

Steve then realised that they were placed in a room where what he thought were mirrors, were in fact a glass, he was sure that people were watching him with their handy dandy notepads in hand, ready to take notes. He clenched his fists, nodding. With a quick pull, the sheet was removed.

 

What Steve saw made his heart stop. Two metallic legs connected his knees and the newly attached limbs. They weren’t too thin, but not too thick either, they seemed sturdy, looking like boots instead of the robotic looking legs with toe fingers that he imagined. Boots.. like jet boots. He reached out, his fingers coming in contact with the cold metal, sending a shiver down his spine. His hand was shaking, and he immediately felt a warm grip on his shoulder, Tony was there comforting him. He didn’t know what to say, to see his lower body not...missing was too much for him to comprehend.

“Take it slow, try to move it, like you would do with normal legs”

Steve nodded, swallowing down. Without thinking about it, he tried to convince himself to move his legs, having taught himself to forget about the use of legs for those past few months. He held his breath as his right leg moved on the side of the bed, letting out a gasp and looking at Tony straight away.

“It worked..?!”

His tone was a mix of surprise and excitement, he was honestly in loss of words, not knowing what to say, what the appropriate reaction was.

Tony immediately stood up, offering his hand to Steve. “Not yet, let’s try standing up”

Steve nodded again, taking Tony’s quite firm hand, feeling warm and slightly shaking.

“Easy now...easy...”

With a decisive small jump down the bed, Steve landed on his padded new legs/boots. He almost fell over straight away, he was relieved that Tony held him up, and once he stabilized himself, he realised that he was towering Tony, just a little bit, maybe an inch or two. His hands clenched, holding tightly Tony’s hand without realising. He couldn’t believe that he could stand again, seeing someone on the same level as him.

“Not bad at all! What about walking?”, Tony prompted him, and Steve could hear the eagerness in his voice.

With a slow movement, he put one leg in front of the other, and then another, he repeated the slow movements until they felt more natural and found himself a few steps in front of the bed.

“It’s working...it’s working..!”

Tony stared at the glass, looking at the scientists straight into their eyes with a victorious smirk.

“Can I let go of you?”, he asked Steve, and with his approval, he moved back, feeling proud as he witnessed the veteran slowly walking towards the bed again without his help, his steps becoming more sure and stable.

“I’m doing it.. I’m walking...”, Steve muttered, mostly in disbelief. The steps felt light, despite the appearance of the sturdy prosthetic legs, which reminded him of armoured boots that knights used to wear, or rather, space suits featured in those movies that everyone seemed to love nowadays.

“Yes you are, Herr Rogers, this was a huge success for everyone here!”, Zola’s voice was heard as the door opened, a few scientists coming inside, looking excited. He could already hear celebratory cheering outside, but he was more eager to test his recovered skills, see what else those legs could do.

“I’m sure that we’re all very thrilled about this, but Rogers here might need some rest. I suggest that we send him home and start the tests tomorrow”, Tony had to shout to be heard over the loud noises and people who were trying to get another closer look at Steve’s legs.

“That..sounds good”, Steve agreed.

Some privacy would have been greatly appreciated, the day was emotional and so important to him, he just wanted to spend some time doing the simplest tasks with the use of his legs again. The unwanted attention wasn’t a thing he appreciated either, and he was relieved to see Happy coming through and clearing the way towards the exit of the building for him. He didn’t realise that Tony was following them until he slipped inside the car and the billionaire was sitting next to him.

“Mr. Stark!”, he jumped.

“We all deserve a bit of rest tonight, I can deal with reports and the press tomorrow, right now I need a bubble bath and to lay in bed”, he yawned as Happy drove off and into the city instead.

Steve’s hands didn’t move from his knees, He kept touching the cold metal, moving his feet slowly, just making sure that they were working absolutely fine and that this wasn’t a dream. Of course that didn’t escape Tony’s watchful eyes.

“So, are you happy with them?”

“Happy..? Mr. Stark-”

“Please, Tony.”

“-Tony. I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity, I will admit, I was skeptical, I didn’t think that they look..that good, feel so real. I don’t even need to think about them moving the way normal feet do, they just...do it.”

“You didn’t have absolute faith in my tech? I’m offended, I really am!”, Tony joked, to which Steve replied with a chuckle.

“Let me tell you what, you can drop by the Tower tomorrow. Stark Tower, I have a top class gym and you can start training and performing the physical tests there, how does that sound? Much better than a lab. Besides, I need to show you something about those legs, they can do something really..amazing. I’ll stay cryptic tonight, you’ll see tomorrow. Rest well, Cap”, he saluted as the car stopped in front of the apartment block.

“Yeah, sure”, he replied without really thinking about it twice. He didn’t expect to like being around Tony Stark, but once he got to know him more, he seemed like a genuinely nice and fun person. He was glad that he took Happy’s advice and forgot anything that he ever read about him in the magazines.

“See you tomorrow, Tony. And thank you. For everything”, he added with a thankful bow of his head, stepping outside. He knew that Happy and Tony stalled so they could make sure that he could walk into the building just fine, and Steve didn’t disappoint them; he felt proud, relieved that he could do such a simple thing on his own.

Walking up the stairs proved to be a bit difficult, but he refused to take the elevator, wanting to test himself. He eventually got there, and when he stepped into his new home, he saw it from a completely different point of view. He felt nice, warm, for the first time in months, glad to be alive.

Not once he thought that the legs looked abnormal or scary- he was just glad to be able to walk again and in their way, he knew that they looked..beautiful. Looking at the shower, he then looked back at his legs, not wanting to risk anything and ruin them. He smiled at the sight of them again as he stepped inside the bedroom, heart beating faster as he changed into looser clothes and for the first time in forever got into bed on his own. The wheelchair that he used for so long was in the corner of the room, and he got out of bed, putting it inside the closet, before drifting off to sleep.

 

\---

 

The next morning, he sat up, looking for the chair, but as he removed the sheets, he smiled to himself.

Shaving felt so much nicer, as as him brewing coffee and sitting on the breakfast bar, eating his piece of toast and catch up with the news. Of course Tony was featured in them, apparently there was a press conference that he was going to hold and announce “a new direction for Stark Industries.” He patted his legs, getting himself ready for the day. Tony gave him directions to the Tower, but of course he was going to be able to spot the giant Tower from miles away.

He decided to take a taxi there instead; it wasn’t that he felt uncomfortable with people staring at him, but he wasn’t quite ready to walk around with those heavy looking “boots”.

Moments later, he was left on the stairs of the giant Tower, staring up without really having any idea where to go. He walked inside, and the moment he approached the reception, he could feel the stares, coughing to both clear the throat but to also distract the secretary who seemed to be fixed on his legs. Maybe he should have chosen to wear longer trousers that covered the majority of the legs instead of the cut ones that he used while his legs were missing.

“Hello, I’m here to see Tony Stark? The name is Steve Rogers”

“Do you have an appointment?”, the woman asked him, finally looking at him in the eyes instead.

“I...uh”

“An appointment, is Mr. Stark expecting you?

“He told me to pass by today, last night..”

“I’ve got him, it’s fine”, another female voice was heard.

Steve sighed in relief as a red haired woman walked towards him, her bright red heels echoing on the marbled floor.

“Steve Rogers, yes, Mr. Stark has been expecting you”, she nodded, offering her hand to shake. “Pepper Potts, Mr. Stark’s PA”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am”, Steve nodded, shaking her hand and quickly following her. He was sort of relieved to notice that she didn’t slow down because of him.

“All he’s been talking about since yesterday and this morning was you. About the project, I mean. I see that it went absolutely fantastic, they seem to be working perfectly”, she pointed out, looking at his legs as well as they stepped inside a glass elevator.

He’s been talking about him? The thought made his heart flutter slightly, but scolded himself straight away; pull yourself together, Rogers, this isn’t about your wishful thinking or whatever, Tony Stark is simply interested in this project, not you. He needed to argue with himself a bit more, since when he developed the slight interest about Tony Stark?

“Yes, I’m grateful, they really are...they feel amazing, they are more than I could ever wish for”, he nodded. “I’m looking forward to today, Tony said that he will show me what else they can do”

Pepper seemed to notice the first name bases and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t really question it.

“Here we are. If you need anything, let me know”, she announced, lightly pushing Steve outside the elevator.

“Uh, thanks?”, Steve muttered as he looked around; the gym was indeed huge, so many machines to choose from, he was so distracted that he almost didn’t spot Tony there. He looked different dressed in sweatpants and a tanktop rather than his usual sharp suits. He was clearly a man who worked out, Steve wouldn’t be able to tell with all his thick blazer that he was normally wearing.

“I hope that Pepper didn’t give you a hard time. How was your first night?”, he asked him, stepping close with a smile on his face.

“No, no, it was fine. And it was quiet, I seem to be getting used to these pretty quickly”, he admitted, giving them a pat.

“Wait until you see what they can really do, you’ll be amazed”, Tony said, chest puffing out proudly.

“You keep saying that, but I haven’t seen anything yet, pal”, Steve teased.

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Well, you better start those kicking exercises first, champ”

Steve chuckled, stretching his arms and moving closer to one of the punching bags in the middle of the gym. He hopped a bit in place, which was surprisingly easy to do, throwing a few punches in the air. He was holding back from kicking just yet, but he could tell that Tony was waiting for that moment, wanting to put his work at the test.

Preparing himself, he approached the punching bag, before landing a swift kick that sent it flying across the room.

Both him and Tony just stared at the spilled sand on the floor and the bag on the other side of the room, locking eyes with each other and starting to laugh.

“Did you see that?!”

“That was the most amazing thing I’ve seen in ages!”

“I know right!”

Steve coughed and regained his posture.

“Those legs could kill a man if I wanted to.”

“Told you I would give you killer legs”, Tony winked playfully.

“You never said that...”

Tony rolled his eyes at Steve, gesturing at a different punching bag. “Okay, use less force now, let’s see what else is there”

Steve nodded, moving close to the other bag and getting himself ready, before delivering another kick. This time, only a bit of sand came out, but the bag was still in place.

“Much better, who would have thought that you need to start controlling your strength now?”

Steve stretched his legs; he did feel more powerful, it made him wonder how faster he could run with those legs, maybe he would go for a run the next morning, early on and check.

“Now, I saved the best for last”, Tony said proudly as he approached Steve. “Those legs look like proper boots for a reason. Look at where the sole is”

Steve looked at him curiously and then raised his foot, staring at the little holes on the bottom.

“What...?”

“Jet boots!”,  Tony exclaimed, arms spread open, expecting a cheer from Steve.

“Jet...boots..? You mean that...they can fly..?”, Steve asked him in pure disbelief, not really believing what he was told.

“Yeah! Well, we can test them now, but I used my new repulsor technology to ease the propulsion so in theory, they should work like a charm”

“I can fly. With my new legs, I can fly?”

“Yep, let’s try it”

“Outside..?”

“No, no, just here for a starter”, Tony shook his head.

“How.. do I..?”

“How do you make them work? All the functions of your legs are directly linked to your brain.”

“So, think about it really hard and it will work. Like wishing on a star when you were a kid?”

“If you put it like that...but unlike your childish wishes, this will come true”, Tony said confidently.

Steve examined his legs once more before trying not to feel too silly by thinking about flying. His eyes were closed, his thoughts disrupted when he heard Tony’s voice again.

“Steve! Steve, open your eyes! You’re flying!”

Steve opened his eyes; he wouldn’t exactly call it flying, more like hovering a few inches above ground, which was still amazing to begin with.

“I...I am flying”, he repeated, trying to test the functions, sending a bit more boost on the jets, getting a bit higher.

“I have an idea!”, Tony said enthusiastically. “Quickly, get down, follow me!”

Steve’s eyes widened, trying to get himself on the ground again, wiping his forehead when he did. He followed Tony into the elevator, noticing that they were getting on the very top floor.

“Where are we..?”

“The terrace, of course. The best place to try this out”, Tony replied, the cool breeze greeting them once they stepped into the terrace. It was spacious, a nice small swimming pool was there, alongside some nice plants and small exotic trees.

“Okay, try again!”

With much more ease than before, Steve started hovering himself, getting a bit higher and giving Tony the thumbs up.

“You should try it out!”

“How?”

The blond smirked as he swooped down, grabbing Tony by his waist and lifting him up with him. Tony gasped and wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck, looking down at the distance that separated them from the ground, then back at Steve who seemed to have been staring at him and looked away...bashfully? He didn’t think about it too much, instead he enjoyed the feeling of flying, holding on Steve and really loving how close he was to him for a change.

“Do you trust me?”, he heard Steve’s voice saying to him.

“What..?”

“Do you trust me?”, he repeated himself.

“Y-yeah..?”

Without saying anything more, Steve jolted over the air, getting higher and higher while he flew around the terrace, ending up hovering just above the swimming pool. Tony had no idea what urged him to get closer, mesmerised by the way the blond’s hair was moving against the wind, how brightly his azure eyes were glowing, how red his cherry lips were or how firm his grip on him was, but he moved towards those lips, and he could have sworn that for a split moment, Steve did the same-

 

**SPLASH!**

 

“What..?”

They both fell into the swimming pool, confused as to why that happened.

“I lost my focus.. good thing we were just above the pool”, Steve muttered, pushing back Tony’s hair from his eyes for him.

Tony was still thinking of that moment, of that kiss waiting to happen but never did. “Y-yeah..but look at you! You’re flying!”, he exclaimed after he got back to his senses, not staring at Steve’s pectorals peeking through the wet white shirt.

“My legs! They got wet!”, Steve shouted as he climbed outside the pool quickly.

“Of course they are waterproof, do you think that I would make them into jet boots but let water destroy them?”, Tony shook his head as he got out as well, shivering lightly. “Let’s go change, it’s getting darker and colder. I bet you’re starving too”

Steve nodded, following him back inside, both of them dripping and giggling to themselves, still excited over the fact that Steve was now able to fly.

“Pizza? Pizza it is”, Tony suggested, not really waiting for Steve’s reply as they stepped inside his penthouse.

It was impressive, Steve had to hold himself back from whistling as he looked around at the paintings and furniture.

“Yeah”, he heard Tony saying to someone over the phone. “Some extra clothes and that pizza that I mentioned, asap”

He finished his call and smiled to Steve as he passed him a towel.

“I’m getting you some dry clothes and food, just ask if you need anything else, okay? No need to feel shy”

Steve nodded thankfully, waiting patiently for a few moments before there was a knock on the door and Tony returned from the hall with fresh trousers and a dark blue shirt.

“Thanks”, he replied as he took them, following Tony’s directions and heading into the bathroom to change into the dry clothes. He came out a few minutes later, seeing Tony already in his new clothes and with a pizza box in front of him, sitting on the couch.

“Jump in! You earned this!”, he smiled as he patted the seat next to him and took a slice of the extra cheesy pizza.

Steve obeyed, biting on the crust and closing his eyes; the last few days have been overwhelming, to say the least.

“What’s wrong?”, Tony asked, observing Steve from up close.

“It’s just.. this is so strange, in a good way, of course. I wouldn’t expect that there would be a day where I would walk again, not just walk, fly, and sit in Tony Stark’s penthouse eating pizza with him”

“That’s a great turn of events, isn’t it? You really have a way of making an impression on people, Rogers”

“In a good way?”

“In a good way”, Tony reassured him.

“How come that you’re so interested in this project, Tony? I know that want to dive into new markets and industries, but I wanted to ask you, is it something..personal..?”

He decided not to mention the fact that Happy told him a few things about his life, he wanted to hear them out of Tony.

“You know..you see a few things over your life that make you reevaluate what you’ve been doing, what you’ve been offering to the world. With the weapons I was developing, I was doing more harm than good.. Sure, I could keep our country safe, but what about rebuilding what’s been broken, what about offering people second chances? I had a second chance offered to me, I wanted to do the same to others...”

“What happened...?"

Tony took a deep breath; he avoided talking about this at all times but right now he was talking to a war vet that lost his legs, he saw the same, if not worse, destruction that he did. If there was one person that could understand how he felt, that would be Steve. He avoided talking in detail about it even to therapists that he visited, but something about the vet’s calm and soothing tone in his voice, his firm grasp from earlier and the concerned look in his eyes made him want to talk more for the first time in his life.

“I was kidnapped and tortured a few years back. Was doing a tour, demonstrating a new missile that I created. Terrorists knew how valuable I was, how much people would pay for me, but of course, you can guess why they hated me so much. They might have wanted me alive, but nobody clarified how..alive they needed me to be. It..it wasn’t pretty. it still isn’t pretty..”

He unbuttoned his shirt slowly, and Steve could feel his heart stopping as he saw the deep vivid scars on his chest; scars from knives, he didn’t have to look at them twice to know that he has been knifed again and again; he knew very well which torture techniques were preferred.

“People think that they understand, that they get how you feel locked alone with only the darkest thoughts with you, hoping that someone will take you out of your misery soon enough, but only getting the slight taste of pain before they pause, leaving you to suffer, then repeat. People suddenly rescue you and you don’t realise what is happening, you can’t tell reality apart from the nightmare that you’ve been leaving. They invite you to places, expect you to talk about it, or to be just fine, to get over all of it. That it doesn’t just go away, that you need to smile or whatever and feel better.”

“I know. I know exactly how that feels. But look at me now, Tony. You’re changing the world for the better. I’m able to do all those things, all thanks to you. Trust me, when I was staying at that hospital.. I saw the despair in people’s eyes, I saw how they completely gave up on living. You’re offering them a chance to start again, to live the rest of their lives. You are just much of a hero as the people outside on the battlefield are.”

Tony’s eyes widened; this was the first time that someone spoke so genuinely to him in response to his traumatic experience. It felt so soothing, to know that someone out there understood him and didn’t expect him to act like the society expected from him was such a huge relief.

“I honestly don’t know how to respond to that, thank you, Steve... I’m really glad that it’s you. For the project, I mean, we couldn't honestly get someone better for it, you are..perfect”

Steve’s gaze softened. “No need to thank you, I’m just stating the truth here”, he replied as he got a bit closer to Tony. “You know.. when I lost my balance earlier and we fell into the pool.. I was focused, it was just the fact that you were, um, so close to me-”

“Like this?”, Tony asked as he got closer, forcing Steve to either look away or stare into his eyes.

“Yeah...”, Steve muttered. He didn’t realise how blue Tony’s eyes were, they really were pretty, and the carefully trimmed beard of the other almost rubbed his own chin when he got even closer.

“Just like...that...”

Before realising, the bearded man lifted Steve’s chin, their lips locking for a split moment. His heart was beating so fast, his eyes shut after being widened for a shocking moment, pouring himself into that chaste kiss, so soft and pure. It was nothing like a quick, sloppy, lustful kiss, no, Tony knew how to make this special, how to make his heart flutter. He could feel the heat rising up to his cheeks as they both pulled away, not really saying anything for a few moments.

“Think that you can fly again and not land us in a pool if I do that midair?”, Tony asked him after that long pause,

Steve chuckled, regaining his normal cheek colour.

“Let’s try that tomorrow”, he suggested.

“You’re spending the night here, right?”

Steve blinked; the need for companionship was there, the choice between going home alone and spending the night with someone who seemed to understand him and show interest in him didn’t make it hard for him to decide. He nodded as he approached Tony, his arms stretching so he could fit him into his embrace.

 

\---

 

When Steve opened his eyes, he forgot that he fell asleep in first place. He remembered hugging Tony close, talking for endless hours about their life, enjoying the company of someone like he haven’t done in years. But now, Tony was nowhere to be found, Steve looked around worryingly, seeing nothing. Standing up, he walked across the room, trying to locate him or a message, anything that would tell him where he was hiding. He was a busy man, he knew that, but he guessed that calling him would distract him instead, maybe he was having one of those press conferences of his.

 

\---

 

When Tony woke up, he didn’t want to disturb Steve; the man looked so peaceful and he couldn’t believe that they fell asleep like that. He wasn’t going to admit it, but that night he slept so peaceful, the disturbing nightmares not making an appearance to haunt him. He got up and started getting ready for the day, if the press conference was going to happen, he needed to look at his best at all times. Not wanting to make any further noise, he opened one of his laptops in his bedroom, surprised to find a mail from Zola, announcing that he would take over the press conference that day. Tony narrowed his eyes; that was his job, scientists weren’t meant for those things, they worked behind the scenes, he was the one to flash smiles in front of the cameras and throw one liners that would make them top quotes of the day. It was time to do some heavy investigating work; they didn’t call him a genius for nothing. For a top secret government organisation, they sure didn’t take into account that Tony was able to track them down and hack their data in seconds. Getting access into Zola’s email communication was a piece of cake; the more he started to go through his conversations with people, the more suspicious he became. There were some boring, normal conversations in German that he skimmed through, but things got interesting when he saw Steve’s name mentioned.

 

_“Subject Steve Rogers, missing legs. Accident was staged 10 months ago. Accepted to undergo Operation Rebirth. Failsafe successfully installed in his new prosthetic limbs.”_

 

Tony’s eyes narrowed. Staged? His accident was staged? Confused, he carried on reading. What followed was a huge list of soldiers and their ranks, completed with their condition and when the ‘accident’ took place. He stared at the screen in horror as detailed reports of those ‘accidents’ were coming up, along with the names of the assets that staged them. It wasn’t hard at all to piece one and one together; that’s how the project got so many volunteers, they were selecting their victims, staging their accidents, ruining lives just so they could get this project running.

 

_“A brand new breed of super soldiers, created by us, fighting for our cause.”_

 

That wasn’t Tony’s intention, he funded the program and was so personally involved in it so he could help people, so those new prosthetics could open the way for more affordable and efficient cybernetic technology. He wanted to make it broader, help individuals who were missing limbs due to legit accidents or were born with those casualties. Suddenly he felt sick to his stomach, disgusted by his own actions, not wanting to do anything with this ever again. No, he had to inform Steve, face Zola and Tarleton, demand some answers and make them face the consequences. He couldn’t believe that something like this was happening right before his eyes and he had no idea. Still in shock, he ran outside the bedroom, bumping into a muscled chest and looking up to Steve who was looking at him curiously.

“What is it, Tony?”, he asked him worryingly; he could see that the colour disappeared from his face, a bad sign of course.

“I need to tell you something, we need to stop them before the press conference, all this is wrong-”

“Deep breathes, you are barely making any sense...”, Steve stopped him before leading him to the main living room area and sitting him down on the couch. “Start from the beginning, what’s going on...?”

“Zola and... Zola and Tarleton staged the whole thing, this project isn’t real! The accidents.. the candidates, they are all behind them, they are the ones who took your legs away from you, they planned it so you would end joining this project, that they would experiment on you the way they wanted, that they would get those new super soldiers the hard way-”

“How long did you know?”

Steve’s voice sounded nothing like the calm, soothing voice of his from the night before; he seemed ready to explode, he could only imagine how he felt. To hear that his life was ruined in the name of so called science, that he was exploited so blatantly, and that the man who he seemed to trust the most at that point of his life worked for those men...

“How long. Did you now?”

“I just found out now, I swear, I had nothing to do this with-”

“You funded them! You helped them do this!”

Steve appeared taller than he was to him as his back was straight, towering over Tony menacingly. An ex soldier was angry with him, an ex soldier with legs able to send him across the room and break multiple bones of his body.

“Steve, please, think straight, I would never do this if I knew!”

“Where are they?”

“What?”

“Where are they! I’m going to find them! Where are they?!”

It was true, thinking straight seemed to be impossible at this point, he was furious, disappointed, lied to, and he didn’t know if he could honestly believe Tony anymore. Maybe he was right, he couldn’t understand why he would inform him of this if he was working with them - unless he was the biggest mastermind behind the whole operation, using Steve to get the scientists out of this and be the only one in charge. Part of him didn’t want to believe that the man before him was capable of something like this, not when they spent the entire last night talking about each other, about their traumatic experiences in the battlefield. No, this had to be entirely the work of someone who had lived their entire lives without setting foot on a dangerous mine field or held a gun in their hands.

“Steve, believe me, I had nothing to do with this, I’m just as angry as you are-”

“Are you?! Did you have your entire life taken away so those sick psychos could experiment on you? Did you?! I’m going after them.”

“Think straight, you can’t just go out there and demand for them to- what are you doing?!”

Steve had stepped outside, having opened the balcony door and stood by the ledge.

“I’m going there. They aren’t getting away with this, not a chance. It’s not just about me, have you seen those people? They still don’t have anything left, they had their lives thrown away and didn’t even get a replacement like I did.”

“Steve!”

Tony shouting seemed to be pointless, Steve knew how to perfectly work his jet boots by now and started hovering in midair before adjusting his posture and jetting off to the distance. His heart started beating faster; what if he fell, what if something happened to him if he ended up there safely? He suddenly remembered the failsafe; of course the scientists had a way to stop Steve if they wanted to, there was no way they could fight against him, and the only way to stop him was to take away the gift they gave to him. He had to hurry up, there was no time to spare, the jet boots could get Steve there faster than his fastest car in his garage.

“Please, don’t let it be too late...”

 

\----

 

The flight wasn’t stable, Steve had to try his hardest to stay on track as he was flying out the city and towards the facility that he had been to for the past couple of days. He could hear people screaming or taking pictures, but didn’t care; his priority was to get there as soon as possible and make everyone who was involved in this pay. He tried really hard not to think of Tony’s reaction; he did feel bad, he most likely wasn’t behind this, just like he had sworn, but that seemed like a personal battle, he had to deal with those people who used them alone. Then again, he also knew that Tony would take it personally just as much, they used his name and money to fund this sickening operation when Stark only wanted to do something good for a change. Maybe he was too harsh, but it had to wait, his priorities rested elsewhere.

He had what many would call a crash landing, falling on the nearby road and getting himself together; he was going to do it, he was going to make them pay. As he walked towards the door and kicked it open, he felt a sharp pain on his legs, falling down and screaming as the pain moved on the back of his pain.

“We were all expecting you, Herr Rogers. Even though I’m surprised that you are all alone, where is Stark?”, Zola’s voice was heard, stepping on the front with an annoying, taunting smile across his small face.

“You are dealing with me! What the hell did you think that you do here? Ruining people’s live, you did this to me and everyone in that hospital! You are cowards, all of you, you- aaah!”

“Ah, you should be careful with what you’re saying, Herr Rogers. We are the ones who made you walk, again, remember? We can easily.. take that away”

With another loud shriek, he felt a painful jolt of electricity running from his head to his legs; he couldn’t move them anymore, their functions were disabled, and he knew that he could so easily take that controller away from Zola’s hands and restore the power. That was if he was able to walk there. He used the power he had in his hands to try and get closer, but an armed man came close and kicked him back on the ground.

“Is that what you want? To be on the ground again?”

“I’d rather be on the ground than walk again because of you!”, Steve spat out.

“It’s such a pity.. we had great plans for you.. the first of many in the new line of super soldiers, but you just had to find about this.. what does it matter to you anyway? You’re faster stronger than ever before-”

“Oh shut up, will ya?”, Tony’s voice was heard from the door, holding what it seemed to look like a gun and shooting an energy beam towards the scientists. Zola shrieked, his controller falling on the ground and starting to scream orders to the armed soldiers.

“Get him, stop them, **NOW!** ”

“Tony!”, Steve shouted as the man ran closer to him. “My legs..”

“Let me guess, they disrupted them? Scientists always have fail safes, Steve, for pretty much everything”

“Duck!”

“What, duck?”

**“DUCK!”**

Tony ducked as he saw Steve’s fists coming towards him, targeting a soldier behind them who tried to attack Tony when he leaned down to help Steve.

“Don’t worry about me, get the controller, make those work again!”

Tony nodded to him as he stood up, his gun having charged again and fired towards the direction of the scientists who tried to reach the controller. Hitting the one on the floor on the face with the back of the gun, he grabbed the controller, turning towards Steve and setting his legs back in motion.

Steve felt the jolt again, but this time he jumped right back on his feet, sending two soldiers who charged at him across the room and on a desk full of monitors.

“After them, we need to reach them before they get away!”

He didn’t wait for Tony to say anything, instead he flew towards him, grabbing him from the shoulders while they headed towards the back rooms. Tony’s gun was fully charged again, blasting soldiers away and clearing the path. The heat from the back of Steve’s boots seemed to have burnt some other soldiers who tried to snatch him as he flew past them. Moments later, they had corned Zola in his lab, his back turned as he was talking to Tarleton, planning their escape.

“Going somewhere?”, Tony asked, his gun aimed towards them.

“I don’t think so”, Steve joined in, cracking his knuckles.

“Gentlemen, please, I’m sure that we’ll be able to discuss this-”

His words were cut short as Steve delivered a hard punch across his jaw.

“Like I said, I don’t think so.”

The sound of sirens was heard in the back, and more noises were coming in from the main entrance. Steve turned towards Tony, asking for an explanation.

“I didn’t come alone. Well, I did, but I called for reinforcements on my way here. I know that we make a great team, but someone needs to put those guys away.”

“I’m sorry”

Tony’s eyes widened, looking at Steve.

“I’m sorry that I doubted you. Should have figured out that were was no way that you would be behind this..”

“Hey.. we all make mistakes, I don’t think that I would trust myself, to be honest.. But I have an idea of where to go after this. But, I need your help.”

 

\---

 

“We’re here today at the Brooklyn Veteran Affairs Hospital where Tony Stark and Stark Industries are introducing what it seems to be a stepping stone for cybernetics and prosthetics for people of all ages in need.”

Tony was beaming as he was standing next to Steve, getting congratulated by journalists, veterans, doctors, families. He needed to do this, this what exactly what he planned when he first decided the program, not create weapons. He wanted to offer soldiers a chance to fight again if they wanted to, but above all, his priority was to give people back their lives.

“Steve! Steve!”

Steve turned around, smiling brightly as Bucky approached him, his missing arm replaced by a metallic one, a red haired woman holding his hand happily

“Can you believe this? How do they work so well? I swear, they are so strong, I tried to grab a jar this morning and it just broke in my hands...”

“You have to learn how to control this, just adjust the strength, it’s not too hard”, Steve laughed, gesturing at his legs. “Is that..Natasha, was it?”

The red haired flipped her hair back, nodding. “I heard a lot about you, Rogers. It’s nice to finally meet you”

“Bucky really didn’t exaggerate, you do look stunning, Ma’am”

“Oh, James, you’re just embarrassing yourself now”, she chuckled, and Bucky responded with a slight pout as Steve returned to Tony’s side.

“Can you see this? This is because of you, Tony. You are giving those people hope, their lives back”, he said confidently.

“You think so? I was starting to doubt this, you know, after everything. You should take credit too, you were the first to undergo this procedure and make it out successfully, you started this”

“I didn’t start this, but if you're going to be persistent and stubborn.. we started this, together”

Tony turned at him as he felt Steve’s warm hand against his own, their fingers lacing and steadily holding his hand. It felt warm, safe to be there. The people behind this were all behind bars now, and he came out of it victorious, with not only the dream that he dreamed, giving people a better life, but also with a unique partner who understood him like nobody else.

“Together.. I love the sound of that”, he nodded.

Together, he had no idea where this could lead them, but he knew that the moment when Steve gently got his hand around his waist and lifted them both in the air, that only good things could come out of all this. The blonde didn’t seem to be losing his focus anymore as Tony cupped his face, lips touching his own, the long, soft kiss doing the talk for them.

No words were needed, just the promise that the two of them, together, as a team and partners, could lead humanity to a greatest future.


End file.
